Day 223 -- another loss with mental health implications

When I signed on tonight, the blog topic for today quickly changed. The death of Robin Williams has left me and many people stunned. He was an amazing actor and comedian. The news that this may have been a suicide is very sad.

Mental health has not been well accepted or understood by society. We see people beginning to speak about mental health and the need for treatment programs to be more accessible. Not only do we need such programs, but we need to work within society to demystify mental illness and rid us of the stigma that sticks to this health issue. Our stories need to change. Many stories we tell from fairy tales onward contain someone with a type of mental illness -- agoraphobia, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and panic disorders. These characters are either the comic foil or the scary character. If we could find it in ourselves to admit that we all know someone who has suffered from a mental illness, then we might find our way to speak in an understanding way and call people on their use of unfair stereotypes.

The other point that comes to mind as I begin to process this sad news, concerns the idea that we never know what is going on in someone else's mind. While mostly true, if we are close to someone, we should be able to recognize some of the signs and symptoms of a downward turn -- and maybe even recognize this in ourselves. Helping someone understand that they are not a failure or that they may not be able to deal with this on their own is the beginning to getting people into treatment as early as possible. This one will take a lot of knowledge, attitude and value changes in our society, but this isn't impossible. Remember when it was acceptable to smoke anywhere? We can change as individuals and that changes the world. If anything positive can come from such tragedy, it might be this. (as I am about to publish this -- Wolf Blitzer is saying basically the same thing -- so maybe some talk will occur).

Choosing a single song for today was difficult. Getting the list down to two wasn't much easier. The first song contains a few lines that came to mind while thinking through the mental health aspect of the news story -- how depression is hidden and held secretly. The second song speaks to the internal pain and altered thought processes often seen with depression as one tries to find a way out. While I will say 'Enjoy' I really want to say 'think about it.'

Tears of a Clown -- Smoky Robinson and the Miracles

Hurt -- Johnny Cash